The Woeful Ballad
by Charlotte Lazarus
Summary: MWPP, SB/RL, unrequited!PP/RL. There's a war wagging and the world doesn't care if you're cursed. Will you stand up for what you believe? Are there things worth fighting for? Are there things worth dying for?


Noun1

_WARNING: Eventual Slash, which means boy on boy love. Don't like__? Keep reading and learn to love it. AU, which means they're in a different world from where Jo placed them…there will be magic, though, and just a little canon, too. Oh, and I am not blonde, rich or married, which means I don't own the puppies. At the rate this is going, though, they'll probably be on sale on Amazon in a couple of years…_

_Thanks to LouisaB, my super cool beta__ who takes her time for this. Hope you enjoy it, all kinds of comments are yearned and encouraged._

_Cheers, Charlie xxx_

First—How it began

_September 1__st__, 1977_

_UBIQUITY_

_(n.) The state of being everywhere at once (or seeming to be everywhere at once)_

Peter smiled, a feeling of satisfaction and identification bubbling in his chest. Well, he certainly wasn't _omnipresent _(another word he had learnt from the calendar), but he made sure to try to be everywhere important, surrounded by the most popular people. It was actually a trait of his—he was terribly bad at everything, except in being amiable.

He put down the small calendar on his bedside table and got ready for the first day of classes. For some unexplainable reason, he felt particularly peachy today, as if something big was about to happen. Therefore, he tried to ensure his appeared at his best: He combed his hair thrice, put on some clean socks and brushed his teeth thoroughly. After feeling satisfied with the looks of the boy in the mirror, he smiled and headed for school.

To the rest of the world, Peter Pettigrew was just a chubby boy, with blond hair glued to his head, which made him look like an oversized dwarf. He fit tightly into his navy blue uniform and carried a very heavy looking bag. However, his sky blue eyes glinted, giving him a nice and friendly expression. As he passed by, several neighbors greeted him with familiarity, including Mrs. Figg, the odd lady who was always in her garden, watering her carnations.

He attended a recognized private school called Hogwarts, located in an ancient and beautiful castle. The place attracted thousands of students, and his seventeen year old self felt extremely happy about being talked to by so many people. But he was just a lucky person, who had been at the right place at the right time (_ubiquity_, he said to himself), and had become close friends with Hogwart's most popular boys, Sirius Black and James Potter. Both boys were deeply admired for being so talented, funny and handsome. The chubby boy had never been as smart or good looking as his friends, but he had a light mood that everybody liked.

Of course, all good things had a price, and so the teen had to endure constant verbal abuse from his two friends, who always laughed at his inability to do anything. Nevertheless, he never complained, for he knew he had been extremely lucky at getting Sirius and James as best friends. Then again, the only thing Peter was an expert at, was getting people to like and help him, an ability he often used to survive any kind of situation.

From afar, he saw his friends together, probably putting on some incredible stunt. They were surrounded by a bunch of people who were laughing along with them and several girls stood nearby, watching them in awe. Peter had always felt rejected in that sort of way, for no girl or boy had ever flirted with him. However, he had never been attracted to anyone. He believed in true love as something unique that would come like lightning at the right moment.

Love in the form of a miracle angel that would bump into him, out of pure fate. Love, that would feel like magic the instant the angel of fate and he met. Yes, he believed in that.

Now, you will have to forgive Peter for that outburst of sappy-ness, but he just can't control himself when he thinks about love. He immediately gets all romantic and ridiculous, and his petite heart starts racing, much like a horse's heart. But… wait a moment…

Peter froze for a second, midway from the entrance to his friends. There, walking next to Severus Snape –_Snivellus!- _was the most unassuming boy ever. He walked with his head bowed down, locks of brown hair covering his face. He was tall, but his back was so hunched that nobody would've noticed his height. His uniform looked second-hand, as did the books he clung to so desperately.

Snape turned around and told the boy something Peter couldn't decipher, then he walked away. He saw the boy blink a few times, sigh in resignation and walk aimlessly into the castle. Without hesitation, Peter followed him, strangely entranced by the boy's shy manners. Nobody seemed to notice the brown haired teen, even when his face clearly showed that he was lost. Everyone just walked by him, not one person turning around. It was almost as if he didn't exist, as if he was invisible.

_A cellophane boy. _

Peter snickered silently at the thought. When he had started at Hogwarts, he had felt that way. Everyone ignored him as if he wasn't there at all. That is, until he stuck around James and Sirius, of course. But it was all different now… perhaps that boy could use the same help. It's funny, he thought, how only unassuming people notice each other.

The boy, obviously deciding that his wandering would take him nowhere, stood in a corner for a minute. Peter then decided it was time for him to step up and offer some help.

"Hello there. You're new here, right?" he said, smiling broadly. The boy jumped a little, obviously not expecting someone to jump out of nowhere to greet him.

"Er- hi," the boy answered in a quiet voice, raising his face a little. What Peter saw left him breathless: The face before him had huge golden eyes with long eyelashes and thick brown eyebrows. The skin was white – like vanilla ice cream, he thought - and the thin cheeks were a shade of rose. A couple of discreet freckles showed themselves across the pointed nose. Such feral features…

"I think I'm right to believe that you're lost?" stated Peter, his voice an octave higher.

"Is it that obvious?"

"Just a little," said Peter, chuckling. "Need help?"

"Er- I guess- thank you."

"Not at all," he replied, while extending his hand towards the boy. "I'm Peter Pettigrew, by the way. But you can call me Peter."

"I'm Lupin," said the boy, shaking the other boy's hand rapidly. Peter's eyes widened and electricity rushed through his entire body, as if he'd been hit by lightning. "Remus Lupin".

"Alright _Bond, James Bond_… where do you need to go?" Remus' smile was almost non-existent, with the right corner of his mouth quirking up just a bit.

"To the Headmaster's office. Please"

Peter nodded and told Remus to follow him. The taller boy obliged, walking a few steps behind Peter, as if afraid of human contact.

"Say, I've never seen you around before. New in town?" Remus nodded and looked away. Peter persisted.

"It's nice in here, if just a bit dangerous. You know, with the gangs business and all." Peter turned to see Remus nod courteously. "But you'll be fine if you don't wander too much. Say, you know your way back home or are they picking you up?"

He saw indecision cross Remus' eyes. He replied in an awkward manner, as if feeling invaded by the other teen's constant questions.

"I'm walking home with a neighbor. Severus Snape."

"Snivellus!" exclaimed Peter, making a disgusted face "Merlin, poor you. Whatever drove you to end up stuck with such a terrible bloke?"

Remus hesitated and Peter felt suddenly embarrassed "Oh my, he's not a relative of yours, is he? I'm terribly sorry, I shouldn't talk without knowing. I beg you-"

"He's my neighbor," said Remus, cutting him off. "I practically just met him. His mother forced him to nicely head me here and back home."

"Oh well, pity on you. He's not nice company, is he?"

Remus laughed a bit, a sound that seemed strange coming from the boy. He didn't look as someone who laughed much, which made Peter feel special. They walked in silence a couple of minutes, until Remus spoke up and said:

"I should've told you he was my favorite cousin or something. That would've been _interesting._"

Peter laughed while the golden-eyed boy just smiled. Something about the other boy seemed so appealing for Peter, especially when they were walking so close. Now, he wasn't one to get ahead of himself, but something told him that Remus was bound to be important. No, not important. _Primordial_. Why? Who knows? It was like a sixth sense telling him so. And he was _so_ lucky to be there to help him out, just in time.

_Ubiquity, indeed._

The story I'm about to tell you is not going to be pleasant. If you prefer, you can stick to the idea that Peter and Remus became instant friends and, in a rush of adrenaline, became faithful lovers. If you want me to, I will tell you that their story wasn't a tornado of tragedy, where obsession ends up in bloodshed. I'll lie and omit their true story, where a war is waging and many pieces are setting up with the sole purpose of ruining their lives.

However, you should know this: tragedies are even more heart-wrenching; they stick to our souls with more honesty. They give birth to adventure, to emotional rushes and, ultimately, to love. If you're willing to continue reading about their path, beware. This won't be a hymn to sorrow, nor an ode to romance. Such as life, which is made of a scale of grays, their story is nothing but an equilibrated song.

It's a woeful ballad.


End file.
